In the Beginning… Gen.1:1-5
Introduction
(Produce a balloon and burst it) Most scientists believe that this is how the universe began – the so-called big bang theory. Through observation of how the universe is expanding they deduce that originally, billions of years ago, it all started with ultra dense matter which explosively expanded. This is quite possibly true but understanding the mechanisms by which things came into being does not help us understand the meaning.
When a child asks its mother where it comes from it is not usually seeking a scientific explanation regarding the mechanics of fertilisation. It is looking for re-assurance about his or her place within family and society.
Whilst a superficial reading of the opening verses of Genesis may give the impression that it is an account of mechanism – how the world came into being, the clue is in the opening words – “In the beginning God”. In other words this is an account of who not how. It is a theological account not a scientific one. So let us see what we learn about God from these verses.
Before all things
The first thing we notice is that God is there before the start. Scientists continue to debate about what might have happened before the Big Bang but whatever theories they may come up with we can be sure that God has always been there.
God created
In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for create is only used of the divine, never of human activity. It is part of the very nature of God that He creates.
He exists as Trinity
This may not be immediately obvious but we have direct mention here of the “Spirit of God hovering over the waters” and comparison should be made with the other “In the beginning” at the start of John’s gospel. Here it explicitly states that Jesus was there at the beginning, co-creating with Father and Spirit
He speaks and things happen
“God said Let there be light and there was light”. The first creative act of God was to bring light into the darkness. It is fair to say that without light there would be no life, certainly not life as we know it.
What God made was good
We will see as a refrain running through these days of creation that God looks at what he has made and gives it the thumbs up. I can remember seeing these seven days of creation being performed in a dramatic presentation by a children’s group years ago. The one aspect which remains in my memory was a sort of Greek chorus saying “And God said “That’s Good” at the end of each “day”
God separates
In the first three days we find God separating and gathering counteracting the “formless” nature of the earth, in the second three days we see him making and filling counteracting the emptiness. Here we have the separation of day and night giving rise to the most fundamental biological rhythm
God names
Again this is a feature we will see throughout the account, God giving names to various aspects of creation. To name something expresses ownership.
So we can see that already in these first 5 verses we have learned a lot about God but what relevance does it have for you and me here and now? I think the most important lesson is that God is still speaking his creative words now, speaking light into our darkness. Life without Christ is formless and void.
As Jesus himself says: “Everyone who hears these words of mine is like a wise man who built his house upon a rock” Matt.7:24